David Carle releases new book

Local writer and former Mono Lake ranger David Carle’s new book is out on local shelves.

“The Spotting Scope,” a murder mystery based loosely in the Mono Lake area, is the prolific author’s second book of fiction after publishing 12 successful nonfiction books.

“I read mysteries for relaxation, and I wanted to try my hand at one,” Carle, 61, said. “I especially wanted to portray a protagonist that enjoys life. It’s not a humorous or light book, necessarily, but it’s not as dark as some mysteries, either.”

The book traces Saline Lake’s former state park ranger and search and rescue team member Jack Morgan’s search for a missing boy who is lost in the Sierra Nevada mountains. During the search, Jack uncovers connections to a man found dead on the shores of the lake—and finds his own life in danger.

Carle said he draws upon his own extensive experience as a search and rescue team member—he was with the June Lake search and rescue team for many years—and as a 27-year veteran park ranger.

“I started writing fiction because I wanted to get into the characters’ heads and emotions, after writing exclusively nonfiction,” he said. He wrote a historical novel to test out the genre and liked it enough to write the mystery.

“The Spotting Scope is an apt title for a novel focusing with vivid clarity on sharply escalating tensions following a murder,” said author Kirk Russell, who wrote the books Redback and the John Marquez series.

“Ex-park ranger David Carle draws on deep knowledge of the terrain and the people who live in it to create a plot where spiraling suspense feels as natural as the surrounding wilderness. I was taken by how clean and clear the writing was, easing from good-natured wit into the darkness of murder and anger unleashed as warring parties hunt a killer,” he said.

The book is at the Booky Joint in Mammoth Lakes, at Spellbinder in Bishop, at the Mono Lake Committee’s store in Lee Vining, and at the Mono Basin Visitor’s Center just south of Lee Vining. It’s also available on Kindle via Amazon, or go to http://users.qnet.com/~carle/[3] for more information about Carle and his books.